A Lot Less Luck, A Lot More Pain
by Kaze no Senritsu
Summary: Time-Travel AU. Naruto is killed at the end of the 4th Shinobi World War, but he receives a second chance. There is a catch though. This time around, Naruto doesn't have the incredible amount of luck that had saved his life in battles countless times before. Can he survive long enough during this new life to change things for the better?


**Yo! So, this is my first story. I was planning to upload this a while ago, but I've been a bit busy as of late. I'm in need of a beta reader, so if anyone would be kind enough to help me out, I would greatly appreciate it. I'm probably going to start a couple different stories and work on all of them at the same time. Depending on what I'm in the mood for, I may work on certain ones more than others sometimes, but I am going to try not to abandon stories. Ill do my best to keep updating all of them. This was the one that I have had planned out for a while, so this was first. It's kinda a short chapter, but that's just because it's the prologue. Ill try to update again soon. The next story I start will most likely be a Naruto/Highschool DxD crossover. Anyways, I hope you enjoy! :)**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 1: You what?!<strong>

(Battlefield)

"Hey Kurama? I think this might be it…"

A tired sigh escaped from the blond teen's mouth as he said that. He looked up at his furry companion to see equally tired eyes looking back at him.

"I know, Naruto. For what it's worth, I'm sorry that I couldn't be of more help" the large fox replied.

The duo had been fighting for what seemed like days in a never-ending war. After defeating the main problem, the Rabbit Princess named Kaguya Otsutsuki, Naruto's former best-friend, Sasuke Uchiha, had turned on him and forced him to fight once more. At the climax of the battle, the two released the strongest techniques against each other, but Naruto's was just a little bit stronger. Sasuke ended up perishing in the clash while Naruto was just barely holding on to his life. He had lost one of his arms and was bleeding so much that not even the mighty Kyuubi no Kitsune could heal him. As Naruto was about to die, he decided to retreat into his mindscape to say goodbye to his life-long companion.

Naruto held out his only remaining fist and smiled up at his one true friend. "See you on the other side?"

Kurama grinned and bumped his own large fist against Naruto's. "You bet"

Just like that, the greatest hero that the shinobi world had ever seen passed on to the next life. Well… Kinda.

* * *

><p>(?)<p>

"Yo! Time to wake up, Naruto-kun!"

Sapphire blue eyes opened slowly as they tried to adjust to the absolutely ridiculous amount of light flooding the room. As soon as they had fully opened, the owner of the eyes wished that he had not woken up in the first place. In front of him was a white void that seemed so endless that he was finding it a bit difficult to comprehend, but what really made him want to go back to sleep was the being standing in front of him.

He/she had long, black hair that was neatly combed back into a ponytail that ended at the small of their back. On their face, they wore black Aviator sunglasses and had a small scar running diagonally across their chin from upper right to bottom left. The person was quite tall, standing at what seemed to be about six feet and was wearing dark red sneakers, forest green cargo pants, and a light blue t-shirt that read "Kami" in red kanji.

"Oh fuck me" Naruto groaned as he slid a hand down his face. Let it be known that Naruto was not at all against cursing, he just didn't do it that often.

The person laughed heartily and looked at Naruto with amused silver eyes from behind their sunglasses. "Well now, that was quite the greeting."

Naruto sighed. "So are you really, you know, the actual Kami?"

They smiled. "That would be me."

"And, just out of curiosity, could you possibly tell me what gender you are?" Naruto asked while looking at the being with a scrutinizing gaze.

Kami thought about it for a few seconds before deciding to answer his question. "I suppose I am neither male nor female, but I am also both. I can change between genders whenever I see fit. Currently, I am maintaining a gender neutral form. Would you prefer me to be either a man or woman?"

Naruto's smile was downright wicked. "Suck it, Kurama! I knew it!"

Kami glanced at him confusedly. "Hm?"

Realizing that he had shouted that out loud, Naruto grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "Hehe, sorry. I made a bet with my friend Kurama a while back about what gender you would be when we finally got to see you. I won."

Kami simply laughed.

"So… why am I here then? I died didn't I?" Naruto inquired with a slightly downcast look.

The great being put a hand on its chin in a thinking gesture. "Well, kinda. I might have brought you back to give you another chance."

Naruto's head snapped back up to look at Kami so quickly in that instance that it was amazing he didn't break his neck.

"You what?! Is that even allowed?!" he yelled.

Now it was Kami's turn to smile sheepishly. "Yeah… I think so. I mean, I am _Kami_, so I kinda make the rules. Anyways, you had a pretty shitty life, so I felt that you deserved another chance. If you choose to accept, you will be sent back to your first year in the academy and your body will change to what it was like back then. Of course, this means that you will have to do all of your training from the beginning, and I do mean ALL of it. Aside from still being in sync with Kurama and his chakra, you will have to build your skills from the ground up this time…"

Naruto interrupted as soon as he registered that Kurama was coming with him. "I accept!"

Kami raised an eyebrow. "You don't even want to hear about the catch?"

The blonde jinchuuriki suddenly stopped smiling. "Excuse me?"

"Yes, well… in a lot of your battles, particularly during your youth, you survived simply through dumb luck. This time, you won't have any of that. You will have to rely more on skill and foreknowledge of the enemy to win." Kami explained.

Naruto contemplated the condition for a few moments. "Hmm, I don't think it will be that much harder."

The god chuckled. "Trust me, it will be a lot harder than you think, but if you insist on trying, I won't stop you." As the being began sending Naruto back through time and space, he remembered one last thing. "Oh yeah! Don't forget that if you do things a lot differently than last time around, the butterfly effect may come into play and all of the major events of your life may be changed or altered."

"Alright!" Naruto yelled with a large smile on his face. Never in his life did he imagine that he would get a second chance. There were so many things that he regretted, and now he had the chance to fix them all. He would not fail. "Thanks for all of the advice and for the second chance!"

As Naruto faded from existence in Kami's realm, Kami looked at the spot where Naruto once was with a stern gaze. "Good luck, Naruto-kun. I fear that you will need it."


End file.
